Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1887-02-03
February 3, 1857,
TRAINING 4 HUSBAND.

So you want to know how | came to
have Caleb, when | knew Jest how he
used Nancy, his first wife Wall, I'll tell
you all about it,
You know Danl left me pretty poorly
| had two little children, and what tel
dew | didn't know The mortgage was
ter run out in about a year and hall
after he died. I'd sent the children down
to brother Johns to 90 to school. Brother
John wanted me ter give them ter him,
an he'd dew well by 'em, an was med
itatin' on it, orful loath ter dew it. But
what else could / dew with 'em when the
old farm was tukaway from me?
One day when the time was near out
| was hoein' beans on one side of the fence
iinin' Calebs cornfeld. | tell yer, Han
ner, never felt bluer in all my days
I'd always lived an worked on farm,
an | couldn't do no other kind of work
so what was to become of me ] didn't
know.
"Puty good hoein for green hand,
sez somebody over the fence.
"Yes," sez |, "Ive done enough Of it
since | was left alone, and practice makes
perfect we used to write in our copy books
when we were children" and | couldn't
help heavin' sigh.
"Wall, Emmerline," sez he, you and
| seem to be in the same fix. You need
man to do your hoein' and need a
woman to see to my house, and if you're
agreed we'll hitch horses, and work in
double harness. | can't find no hired
help thatll do as Nancy did thinks /,
and you'll never find another wife that
will, either. So what dye say Emmer-
line?"
P'raps | didn't think of nothing for the
next few minutes. 1t all flashed over me
in second what an unfeeling man he'd
alters been. Poor Nancy had to do all
the housework and a good deal belonging
to him besides, and he was stingier than
a old miser, tew.
knew he was smart man ter work,
was forehanded and was able ter live in a
good deal better shape than he did and
you know, Hammer, that poor Danl was
just the opposite. He was an orful clever
man, was Dan'l, but kind Of shiftless and
easy, and it alters worried me to have
things going so slack. Sez | to myself,
body can't have everything there's
alters some doubts, and poor man is
better'n none So spoke right up, and
! sez:
"Caleb, we've been nabors for a good
many years. / know your failin's, and
/ spose you know mine and SO, if you
say so, all right P'raps we both might
do wuss"
Wall, ter make long story short, we
agreed to the business right off. Caleb
sed it was stylish to 90 on widding towers
nowadays, and as he wanted ter 90 down
ter Bangor ter see about selling his wool,
and as Sarah Jane Curtis, who used to
work for him, lived about halfway, we
could stop there both ways and not cost
anything. He thought we'd better 90.
His niece, Rebecca Gilman, YOU know,
lives there, and We could make her a
visit at the same time. Brother John
lives there too, you know, and | made up
my mind that I'd bring home the chill
dren. And 50 | did though Caleb he
was orful sot agin it, but he sed, "of
course they can come and make visit =
and | let him think so, because | wasn't
quite ready to have words with him yet.
We stayed about week and got home
in the forenoon al right. The next
morning | woke purity early, and says
to myself, Courage, Emmerline, now or
neyerr p l kept still, for Caleb was still
snoring, but bimeby he fetched an un-
arthly snore that walked himself up, and
when he sees it was a Citing daylight he
nudged me, and sez he:
Wake up, Emmerlne, its broad day
light; come, come, get up, we shan't
have any breakfast to-day"
was orful ha-d ter wake, but after a
while | managed ter, and while was a
rubbing my eyes ! sez, SCOT fire, amt
We Caleb ?"
Fire" sez he, "No, | never build any